Don't Look Back
by Cheeky Slytherin Lass
Summary: Dean enters a Death Eater camp to bargain for Piers' life. Things don't go as planned:: Orpheus and Eurydice!au for Lo


_Muggle History, task 3: write about someone taking a risk for something/one that they love_

_For Lo_

_Orpheus and Eurydice!au_

_Word Count: 1491_

* * *

It's a stupid risk, but Dean no longer cares. Since the battle, he has lost everything. Seamus is dead, the world is without hope, and now they have Piers.

Dean had tried to keep Piers safe, and he failed. A raid on the safehouse led to disaster. He had tried to run, to Apparate them to safety, but Piers' hand had slipped.

It's taken a month for their spies to ascertain that he is still alive and find where he is being kept. But it doesn't matter. At the end of the day, it had been a courtesy, just a way for Dean to have answers and find closure. There will be no rescue mission; they expect Piers to just stay imprisoned and be tortured for the rest of his numbered days

Piers shouldn't have even gotten caught up in any of this. He's a Muggle who, until a year ago, hadn't known about the wizarding world at all. Dean should have let him remain oblivious. If he had, Piers would be safe now.

He takes a deep breath. He is a Muggleborn, and his face is on wanted posters that have been plastered over Diagon Alley. Since the battle, he has caused too much trouble for the Death Eaters. He has to have a death wish to walk into this camp.

And yet, he takes the first step. He has to try. This is the only way he can find closure. To hell with his own safety, his own life. If he doesn't try, he will drive himself mad.

He can feel the energy shift the moment he crosses through the boundary. In the distance, he hears the shriek of an alarm being triggered. Within seconds, masked Death Eaters surround him, all with their wands raised and pointed at him.

"You," one snarls.

"Me," Dean confirms, raising his hands to show that he is unarmed.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here," a second says, stepping closer. "_Cru–"_

"If anyone is gonna hex the bastard, it's gonna be me," the first says, and Dean can see a devilish glint in his eye. "I owe him one."

It's easy to guess who he is, even without the mask. Dean had put up a good fight before he and Griphook were captured by Snatchers. That seems like a whole lifetime ago now.

"I've come to ask for an exchange," Dean says. "You have a Muggle here, a prisoner named Piers Polkiss."

A shrill cackle cuts through the air, and the sound manages to boil Dean's blood and freeze the marrow in his bones all at once. The last time he saw Bellatrix Lestrange was when she managed to strike Ginny with a Killing Curse, only moments before engulfing Hermione in that same green light. Her dark eyes and cruel smirk have haunted his dreams more than he would like to admit. "The filthy wittle Mudblood wants to play," she says, sneering as she pushes her wild curls from her face. "Playtime is over, baby Mudblood."

"I'm offering myself in exchange for Piers."

He doesn't actually have anything to bargain with. They can so easily deny him and capture him. His wand is in his pocket, and he knows they could fire off a dozen curses before he could even think about reaching for it. Besides, there are far too many of them

But he isn't there to fight. Truth be told, he is so bloody tired of fighting. All he wants is to know that Piers is safe. Nothing else matters to him.

Understanding shines in Bellatrix's dark eyes. She laughs. "Oh! Do you love the Muggle brat?" she asks, stepping forward. "How _precious._"

"Please," Dean says. "Let him go. He has nothing to do with this war."

It's all his fault. He should have done more to protect Piers. All of his shortcomings flood his mind, and he hates himself for it.

"Are you really entertaining this fool, Bellatrix?" someone demands, his tone incredulous. "Our master would not stand for it."

"I think I have a better understanding of our master than you do, Rowle," Bellatrix snaps before fixing Dean with a chilling glare. "Come, Mudblood. I want you to see the precious little Muggle before I make a deal with you."

_A deal. _Dean can hardly believe his luck. Is it really possible that he can save Piers? A fluttering of hope tickles his insides. Maybe the risk will be worth it after all.

…

He's lead to a battered grey tent. Bellatrix stops just outside the entrance. "What do you think is on the other side?" she asks, dark brows raising. "Do you think you'll find your lover as you left him? Is this really worth risking your life for?"

"Never knew you were so reasonable," Dean huffs, eyes rolling. He smooths his hands over his dirty and ragged West Ham shirt.

She shrugs. "I did try to warn you," she tells him before pulling back the flap and gesturing him inside.

Dean steps into the tent. Piers is thinner than Dean has ever seen him; his bones are visible beneath paper-thin skin. Bruises litter his body, painting his pale flesh in ghastly and grotesque shades of blue and purple. There's a nasty gash over his left eye, caked with dirt and dried blood.

"Piers!"

Piers opens his eyes, crying out. "D-Dean? Is… Is that really you?"

"It's me," Dean says, stepping closer. "I'm going to get you out, okay? You're going to be safe." He turns to Bellatrix. "Okay. Let him go. I'll take his place."

Her thin lips purse in amusement. "Let him go?" she echoes. "I'm afraid that isn't at all how this is going to work."

"But we had a deal!"

She laughs. Dean really hates that sound. "Did we? Or did you assume that you knew what the deal was before it was even offered?" She grins, revealing a row of crooked, yellowing teeth. "Here's the deal. You are going to walk out of this camp with your little Muggle toy. No one is going to stop you."

Dean frowns. There is so obviously a catch. He waits, arms folded over his chest.

"The filth will be behind you the whole time. We won't harm him. But if you turn around, you will both die. Plain and simple."

He isn't sure that he can trust her, but he has a chance. That has to count for something. Dean takes a deep breath. "Deal."

…

"I love you," Dean tells Piers, kissing his busted lip. He can taste the metallic tang of blood when he pulls away. "We're going to be okay. I promise."

A Death Eater casts a spell that causes the sounds around him to be muffled. Dean hates the sensation; it feels like he has bits of cotton stuffed into his ears. Still, slight discomfort isn't the worst thing in the world. If it keeps Piers safe, he will gladly take the risk.

Death Eaters line the path to the boundary. It isn't a terribly far trek, maybe fifteen meters. Even so, it looks horribly daunting since he knows what's on the line.

He just has to look ahead, no turning back. Taking a deep breath, Dean steps forward, trembling as his foot hits the ground.

He can do this. Just one foot in front of the other. The end us in sight; he just has to focus.

He wishes he could hold Piers' hand. Dean doesn't feel very brave right now, and he needs that comfort.

They're closer now. The boundary where the wards begin is only a few meters away. He can do this. Once he crosses that line, he can get them to safety, and everything will be okay. Color will return the world, and life will have some semblance of normalcy again.

The lack of sound is terrifying. As he nears the end, he feels a flicker of doubt. Why should he trust Bellatrix or any of the other monsters? What if Piers isn't behind him at all, and this is all for nothing?

He can't resist the urge anymore. Dean stops and turns.

Piers is there behind him. Dean's eyes widen, realizing that he has made a terrible mistake.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _someone cries, and the green light hits Piers in the stomach, sending him to the ground.

In the distance, he hears Bellatrix's sadistic laughter.

…

He wishes they would kill him. Piers is gone, and the world is all wrong.

They don't touch him. He had expected round after round of the Cruciatus Curse until his mind finally snapped and he fell into peaceful oblivion. That would have been a mercy.

Instead, he is stuck with his grief and guilt, haunted by his mistakes every waking moment. Sleep offers no relief. Whenever he closes his eyes, he sees Piers so clearly.

He has failed. In the end, the risk wasn't worth it at all.


End file.
